Viet Voice

Pulling Ideas from Unconventional Places

by Kimberly Pham | June 30, 2010 | Bookmark +

The clubhouse at the Hilton Grand Vacation
Sea World during a BeautyTech Networking event.

Sooner or later you may find yourself stuck in a rut, tired of doing the same thing day in and day out. That’s when the rest of the world comes in. New ideas can come from everything around you, especially from outside of the salon world. How you relate these new ideas to your work can make a difference in the way you approach the look, feel, and operation of your salon. So where do these new and innovative ideas come from?

Your Next Vacation. Check out the lighting and design of the walls and furniture of your favorite restaurant or the lobby in your next hotel visit. Popular tourist destinations tend to be more colorful and inviting to folks from out of town. A little renovation as simple as moving things around, changing your lighting, adding accent pillows to your pedicure spas or adding new art to your walls, may make your salon more inviting to your clients and even give you something to look forward to. Nick and Jennie Brown, owners of Velvet Nail Lounge in Troy, Mich., expanded their salon, adding a modern hotel lounge design.

Nature and Your Garden. Just thinking of nature brings me a sense of peace and relaxation. Adding elements of nature to your salon, like your favorite orchids throughout your salon can help create the perfect relaxing environment. More plants can even benefit you, as certain oxygen-producing plants like Areca Palms and Peace Lilies can help remove potentially harmful chemicals, like formaldehyde, acetone, and ammonia, from the air.

The Grocery Store. Do you buy different ingredients to try in a new recipe? Maybe you even adjust the flavors to make dinner taste just right. The same can go for your salon services. Try a new product, add or change different scents and ingredients, and name your new mani/pedi combo something delicious, then adjust it if needed. New scents and textures can complement the new vibe of your salon.

Once you come up with something creative and new for your salon, don’t forget to spread the word. You spend 40 to 60 hours a week in your salon (hopefully much less than 60 hours), so you deserve to be in an environment that is comfortable and inspiring. From your services to the décor and feng shui of your salon, a little change every once in a while can help keep things fresh.

-Kim

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Originally posted on Viet Salon

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